page_title: Battle of Stalingrad
section_title: Commemoration
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Stalingrad / Significance / Commemoration
caption_attribution_description: Русский: Смена караула у Вечного огня на Мамаевом Кургане.Коллаж.Eesti: Igavene tuli auvahtkonnaga Mamaev kurganil.Kollaaž. VolgogradEnglish: The Eternal Flame in Mamayev Kurgan.Collage. Volgograd, RussiaDeutsch: Ewige Flamme im Saal des Soldaten Ruhmes, Wolgograd.Collage.
context_page_description: In the Battle of Stalingrad, Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad in Southern Russia. Marked by fierce close-quarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids, it is one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, with an estimated 2 million total casualties. After their defeat at Stalingrad, the German High Command had to withdraw considerable military forces from the Western Front to replace their losses.
  The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began in August 1942, using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intense Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The fighting degenerated into house-to-house fighting, as both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November, the Germans had pushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones along the west bank of the Volga River.
  On 19 November, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged attack targeting the weaker Romanian and Hungarian armies protecting the 6th Army's flanks.
context_section_description: In recognition of the determination of its defenders, Stalingrad was awarded the title Hero City in 1945. A colossal monument called The Motherland Calls was erected in 1967 on Mamayev Kurgan, the hill overlooking the city where bones and rusty metal splinters can still be found. The statue forms part of a war memorial complex which includes the ruins of the Grain Silo and Pavlov's House. On 2 February 2013 Volgograd hosted a military parade and other events to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the final victory. Since then, military parades have always commemorated the victory in the city.
caption: The Eternal Flame in Mamayev Kurgan, Volgograd, Russia (collage)
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